Android devices in risk: A malware acts like system update & steals all data from mobile

March 27: A new Android malware has been discovered by security researchers. It hides as a security update while taking control of your android device and stealing all of its data. The new malware has begun to spread among smartphones running the Android operating system. The application is disguised using an alert similar to verified updates from Google. Once installed, it takes control of Android phones stealing not only data but also messages and images among other things.

This malicious app was discovered by researchers at Zimperium. They found that it can steal contacts, messages, take photos using the camera, record calls, enable the mic and more. It’s even capable of tracking the victim’s location. It’s actually a smart piece of malware as it tries to avoid detection by not using a lot of network data. It does that by uploading thumbnails instead of the full image to the attacker’s servers.

However, the good news is that this malicious app was never available on the Google Play Store. This means that as long as you continue to download the apps from the Play Store, you should be safe.